The fields of machine component salvaging and remanufacturing have grown significantly in recent years. Systems and components that only recently would have been scrapped are now repaired and/or refurbished and returned to service. For many years machine components have routinely been “rebuilt” and used again, but often only after the component's dimensions or other features and properties are modified out of necessity from original specs. Increasing bore size during “rebuilding” on internal combustion engine will be a familiar example. It is more desirable in many instances, however, for systems and components to be remanufactured to a condition as good or better than new without modifying the specs. With this goal in mind, the development of remanufacturing strategies in certain technical areas and for certain classes of components has been rapid. In other areas, however, and in the case of certain types of machine parts, engineers continued to find it challenging to return components to a commercially and technically acceptable state, much less a condition identical to or better than new. Compounding these challenges is the tendency for even very precisely and carefully remanufactured components to still have an appearance of wear or prior use, which can lead to commercial challenges when so recognized by a potential consumer.
While all manner of techniques have been proposed for repairing cracks in components, removing corrosion, repairing surface finishes and other signs of prior use have been proposed over the years, the use of such techniques can change the material properties of the components, such as microstructure, in ways only apparent upon inspection with sophisticated instrumentation or after returning to service and observing a failure. Moreover, even where such techniques more than adequately address the technical requirements of remanufacturing, they can still render the component aesthetically unappealing. One class of machinery parts where balancing these sometimes competing goals of technical sufficiency and aesthetic appeal has proven quite challenging are internal combustion engine pistons.
Internal combustion engines have many different parts. When such an engine is taken out of service and dismantled for remanufacturing, various of the parts may be reused while others are scrapped. Reassembling an internal combustion engine once remanufactured therefore often requires the use of a mix of both remanufactured parts and new parts. In the case of pistons, it is commonplace for replacement pistons supplied for installation in a remanufactured engine to be new due to the fact that many incoming pistons removed from service are presumed to be poorly suited, if at all, for remanufacturing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,660 to Calvert et al. is directed to a method and apparatus for installing a prepackaged piston assembly. Calvert et al. proposed a prepackaged assembly in which a plurality of piston rings are preinstalled on a piston and a sleeve positioned about the piston and the rings to maintain the rings in a compressed position ready for installation. Calvert et al. indicate that their development reduces time and expense required for rebuilding an engine and increases the quality of the rebuild. While Calvert et al. may provide an advantageous strategy for packaging and supplying replacement pistons, the reference does not appear to provide any guidance as to obtaining the replacement piston itself from remanufactured or new sources.